Total Eclipse of the Heart (Royal AU Wally x reader)

Chapter Thirteen

The second week of the Shuffling ended. As Lady (Y/n) checked her calendar, a big smile formed on her face as she thought about the turn her very life has made during this week.
'And still two more to go. Plus a couple of days.'
"Alright!" she quickly left her room and got to what was now her morning routine.
Her morning routine being: drink her coffee, review her files and documents, read her letters...
'I didn't read them yesterday.' she realized.
Instead of panicking, she let out a heavy sigh.
'Which means there should be double the amount today.' she felt tired just thinking about it. 'Maybe I could have someone sort them out for me, see which ones are from the most important people. And Eddie, Barnaby, Lady Starlet, and maybe Howdy too...'
With each name she listed, her heart jumped a little more. Whatever she was feeling right now could only be described as a pure sense of glee. Something she hasn't felt in a long, long time... She giggled, then went to ask a maid to sort out her mail with her. It was a huge help. And now Lady (Y/n) added 'tea time with a princess and her entourage' to schedule for the day.

"A princess?!" Catherine clapped her hands when she told her fellow council members about it. "That is fantastic Lady (L/n)!"
"I'm so excited!" she shook her hands. "Very much nervous, but much more excited! That is new to me! Is that weird?"
"No." Gwendolyn smiled, shaking her head. "It's not weird at all."
"It is a little weird," everyone turned towards Arnold. "that a princess would invite someone of such a low rank. I say there's something shady going on here."
"Arnold!" Catherine glared at him. "You apologize right no-!"
"It's all right." (Y/n) tapped her shoulder. "He has a point. it is strange when you look at it from afar... Maybe this whole Bloody-Bare-Hands thing is turning out to be a good thing after all." she smiled.
He scoffed with a smirk as he rolled his eyes.
"I'm sure it is." he looked away. "For you."
(Y/n)'s expression saddened.

"...Are you mad at me?"
She was about to apologize when Catherine spoke again.
"Don't mind him, Lady (Y/n)." she said as she turned her away from him. "You must have a lot to do today, despite tonight's event. Are you on time?"
She checked the time and gasped.
"You're right, I have to go!" she rushed to her room to grab some things. "The birdwatching club invited me back! And this time, I'm pretty certain Frank will be there!"
Everyone's eyes became wide open.
"...'Frank'?"
"Alright, have a good day everyone!" she passed by them, waving. "I'll see you tonight at the ball!"
And with that, she was gone.

Frank had taken this opportunity to quiz (Y/n) about the ornithology lessons he gave her. Her knowledge impressed the other members of the club and they even invited her and Frank to formally join them. The two of them politely declined.
After this, Lady (Y/n) went to a few gatherings and had the most pleasant times. She felt really proud of herself for being now able to hold up on her own in large social settings. It really helped that the people she talked to were all really nice and interested in her as a person. Sometimes, she would run into familiar friendly faces, which would be such a delight everytime. For example, in the early afternoon, she ran into Miss Partridge again, talking to Chef Vin-Vandle about the latest cooking trend. (Y/n) didn't know much about the subject, but she was happy to listen.
"I just realized," she said at some point. "you don't usually show up to gatherings, do you Miss Partridge?"
"You're right." she smiled, bashful. "I am mostly in the comfort of my cottage."
"Your cottage?"
"Ah. Y-yes." she nodded. "I furnished my quarters so that they are identical to my cottage back at home in the Enchanted Forest."

"I see. You must really love your home then."
"It is the place where I feel the most comfortable. Um, to tell you the truth... I much prefer to stay in than go to big social gatherings."
She seemed embarrassed to admit it. (Y/n) was surprised. Poppy Partridge carried herself with such elegance, she didn't expect her to be such an introvert.
"Oh! But then are you okay with being here?" she spoke more quietly so as not to call her out to everyone, there were indeed a lot of people around.
"Actually, as I told Mr. Vin-Vandle," she gestured towards him and he nodded. "when I heard he would be attending this tea party, I gathered myself and came here. For I deeply wanted to thank him for all of his hard work."
"Miss Partridge is a passionate cook, I can tell." Vin-Vandle chuckled. "I recognize a fellow lover of food when I see one. But I must say, I didn't expect that a mage – especially one as powerful as her – would bother themselves with such tedious things."
"Tedious? Not at all, sir." she shook her head. "Cooking using magic, for me, lacks a certain touch of... je ne sais quoi."
(Y/n) squinted her eyes, but nodded along. Although she and herself knew that she had no idea what that meant. She felt a bit ashamed of this silent white lie.